I Do?
by Ezia523
Summary: Hey, guys! Be sure to check out my first Rockett's World fanfic, "The Date Continues" before reading this story, so you'll know how Ruben and Rockett came to be. Hope you enjoy!
1. Afternoon Gab

FF

I Do?

Now that Ruben and Rockett are officially boyfriend and girlfriend, Rockett Movado is more excited than ever! But when Ruben is paired up with Nicole Whittaker for a major assignment, Rockett begins to take on a new kind of image - a jealous one. Will her new behaviour wreck her new relationship?

Purple Moon, if you guys would have just developed a game or story where Ruben and Rockett actually pair off (like, for real!), maybe there wouldn't be all this fanfiction;)

Chapter 1: Afternoon Gab

"Tell me again, Rock! What happened after the party?" exclaimed Meg.

It was late afternoon, and Rockett Movado was happily chatting with her best friend, Meg Durrand. Even though the girls had been on the phone for over two hours, their conversation had been completely repetitive. Meg had been asking Rockett the same question, and Rockett had been answering the same question - over, and over, and over again.

Normally, Rockett wasn't a huge fan of repeating stories, but with a story like this, she could go on forever.

"Nothing, really," smiled Rockett, pretending to be casual about the whole subject.

"Please, Rock," snorted Meg. "You're totally bluffing."

"Okay, fine," laughed Rockett. It was true, nobody knew Rockett as well as Meg did.

"It was totally amazing!" Rockett blurted. "First I got that email-"

"What email?" Meg cut her off.

"C'mon, Meggie Muffin, we've been over this already. The email from Ruben, remember? Asking me to come outside?"

"Which of course, you did," Meg continued for her.

"Right," said Rockett.

"And then, you ran downstairs-"

"I nearly woke up Jasper-"

"And then you opened the door, and Ruben brought you back that yummy vanilla cake from his brother's party..."

"It was chocolate," corrected Rockett.

"He told you he how he'd hopelessly been crushing on you, you told him the same, Olivia honked like, forty times, and then - boom! He kissed you! And you two became a couple!" finished Meg.

"Exactly," said Rockett, smiling hugely.

"So tell me again, Rock! What happened?" shouted Meg.

Rockett laughed. "It's a long story," she teased.

"So I've heard," Meg giggled. "So, what are you gonna wear to school tomorrow? You should wear something totally cool, something that just like, screams 'Girlfriend Of A Guy With A Totally Choice Band,' or better yet - you and Ruben could match! He could wear like a yellow blazer sort of thing and match you with like, a yellow top with maybe some trim on it..."

Before Rockett could tell Meg that this was Whistling Pines, and not the red carpet, her other line started beeping.

"Uh-oh, hang on, Meg. I've got call waiting...ohmigosh, it's Ruben! Hang on a second," Rockett said, tapping the button to switch lines. "Hello?"

"...Rockett?"

"Oh, hi Ruben! What's up?"

"Nothing really," Ruben answered shyly. "But hey, I was wondering, do you want to walk to school together tomorrow morning? It's supposed to be really beautiful out."

Rockett couldn't believe her ears. A walk with Ruben _and_ a beautiful sunrise to kick off the day? Wouldn't it just be the best day _ever_ for her?

"Ruben, that sounds fantastic!" Rockett exclaimed. "Totally yes! I'd love to."

"Great! 'Cause so far, only Carlos, my parents, my bandmates, and of course, Olivia know about us, you know? I'd kinda like to let everybody else know, too."

Rockett clamped her mouth shut to keep herself from grinning like an idiot - not that Ruben could see her or anything, but still. She was just so excited! This was way too good for Meg to miss out on.

"Oh, uh, Ruben, hang on just a second!"

"Anything for my N.G.," Ruben replied smoothly.

Rockett switched back to Meg's line.

"Hello?" said Meg.

"Meggie! Stay on the phone! Ruben's on my other line, and if you promise to be really quiet-"

"You'll let me listen in?" gasped Meg.

"You got it!"

Rockett pressed in the button on her phone to merge together the three lines.

"Ruben, hi! Sorry about that! So, yes, about the walk thing, it sounds totally great!" said Rockett excitedly.

"That's awesome," said Ruben. "Okay, I'll meet you at your house."

"AWWWW!" Meg cried on the other line.

Rockett hung up the three-way call immediately.


	2. Secret's Out

Chapter 2: Secret's Out

On Monday morning, Rockett stood in front of her mirror, brushing her hair and putting on the perfect final touches before her walk to school with Ruben.

The doorbell rang, and Rockett dashed to her front door to answer it.

"Hi Ruben!"

"Hey! Looking good, Rockett," Ruben commented. "So, shall we?"

"Let's shall," she giggled.

"So, what happened last night? Did your phone cut out or something?" Ruben asked as they walked past Rockett's mailbox and onto the sidewalk.

"It's a...long story," Rockett said.

Ruben smiled. "It sure didn't _seem_ that long when it happened," he said to her.

Rockett smiled back. "Well, then Ruben, let's just say you had to be there."

"I _was_ there," he replied with a wink.

Rockett laughed. _'Wow,'_ she thought to herself. _'This is sooo cool! Who knew Ruben would still be this easy to talk to even after I told him how I felt about him?' _

Soon, Ruben and Rockett arrived at the Whistling Pines entrance. But something was different - not to mention totally weird. The lawn which had just been abuzz with students laughing, talking and listening to music suddenly became quieter than the study hall room...and _everyone_ was looking at them.

"Why's everyone staring?" Rockett asked.

"Maybe everyone's thinking it's about time we finally got together," Ruben thought aloud.

For a moment, Rockett found herself enjoying the attention...that is, until she remembered one person who would never shut up about this whole arrangement.

Mavis Wartella-Depew.

"ROCKETT AND RUBEN - OHHHH MY! HOORAY! The day has finally arrived!" exclaimed Mavis, who had just popped up from out of nowhere...as usual.

"Mavis, _chica_, slow down! We want to be the ones who deliver the news, and if you keep getting all _fuerte_, everyone will know before we even get a chance to tell them," said Ruben as he slipped his arm around Rockett.

"I'm sure everyone already knows by now anyway," replied Mavis, staring at them.

"Maybe," Ruben laughed. "Anyway, we'd better go, or we'll be late for homeroom. _Adios_, Mavis!"

Just before Rockett turned to go, Mavis pulled her aside. "Rockett! I'm _sooooo_ glad for you two! I mean, honestly, it's about time. You and Ruben took _forever_, but I'm so happy to finally see the day I've been waiting for since you came to Whistling Pines!"

Rockett laughed. Mavis sure could be dramatic sometimes. "Thanks, Mavis," she said. "And hey, thanks for rooting for us all this time."

"Of course," replied Mavis.

"Hey, Rockett! You coming?" Ruben called to her, his eyes twinkling.

"Coming, Ruben!" Rockett hollered back. "Well, listen, I got to go, so I'll see you later!" Rockett said to Mavis, as she turned to go.

"Goodbye, Rockett! AND CONGRATULATIONS!" Mavis yelled after her.

"Welcome back to another outrageously funky day of super-schoolastic, totally _fantastico_ fun, my peanut gallery pals!" exclaimed the homeroom teacher. Goofy Mr. Baldus looked at every teaching day as a brand new adventure, and today was definitely no exception. As always, he was his usual, quirky self.

"So, before I begin to tell you all about the day ahead, have I got some ga-roovy news for _you_! I heard from the grapevine, that two of my fave lil' buddies from H.R. (that's _'homeroom', _ladies and gentlemen) are totally in _loooooove_!" Mr. Baldus' announcement came with his ridiculous, trademark-googly eyes. Rockett and Ruben blushed.

'_Forget homeroom_,' thought Rockett. '_Mr. Baldus would be better off in the drama department_.'

Ruben leaned over. "Do you wanna tell them, or should I?" he whispered to Rockett.

"I'll do the honors," Cleve Goodstaff interjected.

Suddenly, Cleve burst out into song: "Ruben and Rockett, sittin' in a tree..." he sang.

The entire class, including Mr. Baldus joined in. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage..."

"...Then comes Rockett in the baby carriage," Dana St. Claire snorted after class. She was busy reporting the morning news to her fellow CSGs, Nakili Abuto and Miko Kajiyama. As long as she was gossiping, Dana was in her element."Or maybe instead of baby carriage, it's like, _spaceship_, I don't know. Anyway, it's pretty disgusting if you ask me," she said.

"Disgusting?" asked Miko. "As if, Dana! I had no idea they were even a couple, like, I always knew Ruben liked Rockett-"

"And Rockett obviously liked Ruben," added Nakili.

"Right," said Miko. "But I mean, I can't believe they're both like, aware of it now. This is crazy! I gotta speak to Rockett about this," Miko said excitedly before dashing off down the hall.

Dana groaned. "Ugh, just another reason to make her _more_ popular. As if being the new kid wasn't enough."

"Oh, girl, would you stop it already?" Nakili asked. "Even if you don't like her or whatever, I know that deep down, we all wanted to see Rockett and Ruben get together."

For a moment, Dana's facial expression softened, and it even looked like she was right about to agree with Nakili. But just as quickly, she returned to normal. Nakili pretended not to notice.

"So no more of this foolish gossiping, you hear? I've had enough. And I'm about to be late to my next class, so later, girlfriend! Gotta make it on time so I can get a good seat by Rockett and hear all about how _this_ thang went down!"

"Ugh," Dana groaned.


	3. The Project

Chapter 3: Paired Off/The Project

"Now, class, if we could all please calm ourselves, I have a very important project for all of you to work on over the next few weeks," announced the English teacher, Mrs. Tinydahl.

"Oh great," Sharla Norvell said sarcastically. "Just because this woman's bored out of her mind, she's decided to torture us all for the rest of the month. And to think _I_ was even starting to enjoy myself." Sharla rolled her eyes.

Even though the two girls were sitting right next to each other, Rockett did her best to ignore Sharla as politely and nonchalantly as she could. Last time she tried responding to Sharla's negative 'tude, things got pretty messy.

Luckily, there was a brief knock on the door, which doubled as a great distraction. Sharla would not even notice Rockett had been ignoring her.

Mrs. Tinydahl bustled to the front of the classroom and cracked open the door.

"And how may I be of help to you, Mr. Rosales? I'll have you know that I am in the middle of teaching a class."

Did she just say, 'Mr. Rosales?' Rockett leaned forward to get a closer look.

Ruben held up a thin sheet of paper. "My class schedule," he explained. "Is it too late to come in?"

"Well, I don't see a reason why not, since you've already interrupted," Mrs. Tinydahl replied, opening the door for him.

"Class, I'd like for all of you to welcome Mr. Rosales into the classroom. Ruben, please take a seat next to Ms. Hollis," said Mrs. Tinydahl.

Rockett's eyes lit up as Ruben came down the aisle. What was he doing in here, anyway?

When he came to Rockett's desk, he stopped. "I, uh, changed up my class schedule so we could be in more classes together," he whispered slyly. Ruben winked at her before he made his way to his new seat.

Rockett practically glowed. She couldn't believe how awesome this whole thing was! First, all the attention from her peers and classmates - even teachers were joining in on the excitement. The only person who wasn't immensely thrilled was Dana, but even she looked the tiniest bit glad. And now, she and Ruben were going to be spending a lot more class time together, since he'd changed up his schedule. As far as Rockett was concerned, Ruben was the best boyfriend ever!

"Alright, now...where were we? Ahh, yes. The assignment. Well, Mr. Rosales, you certainly picked a good day to join this class. This project will count for sixty-percent of your grade, so if done correctly, you will be off to a great start. As for the rest of you, I expect nothing short of one-hundred percent, since most of you need this project just to pass this class," Mrs. Tinydahl said, eyeing the students.

"What if we don't _want_ to pass this class," Sharla muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, Mrs. Tinydahl had heard her, loud and clear.

"Then I suppose you can leave, if this is not the place you intend to be, Ms. Norvell. _Out_!" yelled Mrs. Tinydahl.

"Another day, another detention," Sharla sighed as she stood up to leave.

As soon as Sharla left, Mrs. Tinydahl immediately closed the door behind her. "I do not need any more interruptions!" she fumed. "Not from outside the classroom and certainly not from inside the classroom! Is that understood? Good! Now, moving on...as I said earlier, this project will count for sixty-percent of your grade, so it is of the utmost importance that you all pay attention..."

Rockett sat up straight. Whatever the project was, it already seemed like a good deal to her. Maybe she could even form a study group later with Jessie and Ruben.

"I will be pairing you up into groups of two for this assignment, being that it is a marriage project."

Rockett's jaw dropped. _Marriage_ project?

"You will each be paired up, and given a sack of flour, which will be your 'child'," Mrs. Tinydahl announced, placing a thick sack of flour onto her desk. "You will also be given a budget to spend while you are married. Each student must record their thoughts and experiences, as well as progress made throughout this exciting milestone. Your journals and flour sacks are to be turned in no later than next month, or you will receive a failing grade."

The class groaned.

Stephanie Hollis raised her hand high. "Are you saying we're going to have to work on this assignment during the break?"

Mrs. Tinydahl answered, "Yes. You will all have to work on this over the break. I've talked with your other Language Arts advisor, Mr. Baldus, and we both have agreed that because most of our student's grades have slipped, in this particular class, you can afford to give up some of your vacation. Now, Ms. Hollis, you will be paired with Bo Pezanski."

"What?" cried Stephanie. "Mrs. Tinydahl, may I _please_ have someone else?

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Tinydahl said sternly. "If you care about your grade at all, you'll learn to cope with the situation."

Stephanie pouted and slid down into her chair.

"Our next married couple is Chaz Franklin and Jessie Marbella."

"What?" cried Stephanie and Max Diamond in unison.

"Class, quiet! You are not allowed to choose your partners," said Mrs. Tinydahl.

"We would in a _real_ marriage," said Stephanie.

"Enough, Ms. Hollis!" warned the teacher. "One more word out of you, and I'll drop your grade ten points - and that means for the both of you!"

"Aww, man," said Bo. "Way to go, Stephanie. Don't you ever know when to be quiet?"

Stephanie scowled at him, but said nothing, so as not to upset Mrs. Tinydahl...not to mention their grade.

'_Wow_,' Rockett thought as she observed the scene. Things were already getting out of hand, and the project hadn't even started yet!

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Rockett turned around at once.

"Rockett," whispered Arrow Mayfield. "Here, this is from Ruben," she said, handing her a note.

"Thanks," Rockett whispered back, taking the note. When Mrs. Tinydahl's back was turned, she quietly opened the note and read it to herself.

_R, _

_Man, can you believe Bo and Stephanie? Talk about total drama - la gente esta muy loco! I had no idea I was missing all this when I'd signed up for this class. The marriage project sounds pretty cool. I hope we can get paired up. Write me back, if you can :) _

_-R.R. _

Rockett smiled at the note, slipped it into her desk, carefully pulled out a sheet of paper, and begin to write back.

_Ruben, _

_It's like this every day (haha) but normally Nicole's causing the most drama. I actually like the project idea, and I have to agree that it'd be totally choice working on it with you :) _

_-R.M. _

When she was finished writing, Rockett slipped the note behind her and passed it to Arrow, who quietly sent the note to the back row.

"Arnold Zeitbaum, you will be paired with Ms. Arrow Mayfield," said Mrs. Tinydahl.

"Alas, fair maiden, our time has finally come!" Arnold cried dramatically. Arrow groaned.

Rockett felt another tap on her shoulder again, and quietly took Ruben's note in hand.

_R, _

_Haha, well as of right now, I'd say we have a very good chance, since neither one of us has gotten paired up yet ;) _

_-R.R _

Rockett quickly finished up her reply, crumpled the note, and prepared to send it back down the line.

"Ms. Movado, you will be paired with...Ruben Rosales," said Mrs. Tinydahl.

Upon hearing this, Rockett broke out into her biggest, ear-to-ear grin. '_Ohh, yes_!' she thought excitedly. She immediately pictured their first 'family' portrait, featuring herself in a beautiful dress covered with a painter's smock, Ruben in his tricked-out duds and guitar, and the coolest looking flour-sack-child ever seen. Okay, all things considered, maybe it _was_ one of her weirder fantasies, but still. This _was _a marriage project, and it was going to be awesome!

Caught up in all the excitement, Rockett carelessly tossed the note over her shoulder.

"Oops!" Arrow whispered fiercely as the note slipped from her hands and onto the floor.

Rockett slowly reached down to catch the note before anyone else saw. Just as she was about to pick it up, another hand intercepted.

"What do we have here?" asked Mrs. Tinydahl.

Rockett froze.

_"'Ruben, I cannot wait to work with you on the project,"_ she read aloud. _"'So far, so good! Mrs. 'Tiny' has absolutely no clue about us, so she's bound to pair us up! -R.M.'" _

Rockett cringed. So did Ruben.

"Is that so, Ms. Movado?" asked Mrs. Tinydahl.

"Uhhh," Rockett stammered. "I-"

"Mrs. Tinydahl, it was all my fault," Ruben interjected. "I'm the one who started it, not Rockett-"

Mrs. Tinydahl cut him off. "Out of the kindness of my heart, and for the sake of your grade, it's probably best that you both work with someone else, who will keep you out of trouble..."

Rockett's eyes widened. "No...please don't..."

"Rockett, your new partner is Cleve Goodstaff."

Rockett glanced over at Cleve, who was busy checking out his muscles. Keep _her_ out of trouble? Cleve could barely even keep _himself_ out of trouble. _'Ohh no,'_ Rockett thought. _'This is never going to work...!' _

"...And that means Ruben, you will be paired with Ms. Nicole Whittaker," Mrs. Tinydahl announced.

"WHAT?" boomed Rockett. "Mrs, Tinydahl, with all due respect, I thought you said we couldn't _have_ new partners!"

"No, I said you couldn't _choose_ your partners," the teacher corrected sternly.

"But-but-Nicole's not even here today!" Rockett tried.

"Ms. Whittaker's parents called, and they will return from their vacation this evening. Therefore, Nicole will be back in class tomorrow morning," answered the teacher.

Before Rockett could say anything else, Mrs. Tinydahl directed her attention back to pairing off the remaining students.

"Whitney Weiss, you will be paired with Max Diamond," she said. Whitney shrugged. Being that she and Max were some of the most popular kids in school, they were constantly in the same circles anyway, so this project wouldn't really be all that challenging for them.

But although Whitney looked fine, Max was a mess. He obviously couldn't take being paired up with another high-maintenance Ones member. It was sometimes just so overbearing.

Mrs. Tinydahl finished pairing up the students, handed each of the couples a flour sack, and with that, class was dismissed.


	4. Crushed

Chapter 4: Crushed

"I cannot believe this!" Rockett complained to Jessie as the two girls walked to their next class. "I mean, just because we were passing notes, we're ordered to split up? Why couldn't Mrs. Tinydahl just put me in detention, like she did with Sharla?"

Rockett thought about that for a moment. "Boy, is Sharla lucky," she said. "She doesn't have to stick around for this totally lame assignment."

"No, but she'll be missing a huge part of her grade because she _can't_ do the assignment. Don't feel bad, Rockett," soothed Jessie. "I mean, you're not the only one who didn't get paired up with the person you wanted to. But hey, we've still got some pretty cool guys."

"Easy for you to say, Jess. You got paired up with Chaz, not Cleve," Rockett said glumly. "All Cleve's gonna do is goof off and talk about girls...which will probably result in a failing grade for us when our 'flour child' starts getting influenced, or whatever."

Jessie laughed. "'Flour child.' That's pretty funny, Rockett. And about the flour itself getting like, 'influenced,' I don't think you'll have to worry much about that. It may be a project and all, but still. The flour's totally inanimate."

Rockett begin to laugh. "Oh, yeah, I guess you're right, Jess. Sorry, I seriously don't know where my head is today," she said.

"You seemed fine earlier. I mean, you were _so_ happy. Like, ever since things worked out with Ruben and all. So what's the matter?" inquired Jessie.

"Ohhh, I don't really know if I want to talk about it anymore," said Rockett. "I've complained enough for the day, anyway. Let's just get to class."

"Okay," said Jessie, as she and Rockett begin to pick up their walking pace. "But, if you change your mind, just let me know."

"I will, Jess."

Just as they were about to enter the classroom, Rockett heard loud voices down the hall.

"I cannot believe Nicole got paired with Ruben," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Whitney's. "Oh, man, Rockett's probably _so_ mad!"

"Not as angry as I am about being paired up with Bo Pezanski," said another voice, probably Stephanie's. "He's such a spaz."

"He totally is," Whitney agreed. "Anyway, I'd say two out of three's not too bad. I mean, I got paired with Max, and Nicole got paired with Ruben. Things could've definitely been a _lot_ worse."

"Yeah," laughed Stephanie. "Like Rockett getting paired up with Cleve after she _sooo_ desperately wanted to be with Ruben. I guess my arrangement's not so bad after all."

Rockett fumed. No doubt those two had been talking about her. Last she checked, there were definitely no other 'Rocketts' in school.

"Wouldn't you rather talk about me to my face?" snapped Rockett when Stephanie and Whitney got closer.

"What are you talking about, Rockett? What, do you think we like, always talk about you or something?" challenged Stephanie.

"It sure does _seem_ that way," Rockett retorted.

"Fine, whatever," snapped Stephanie. "We were talking about Mrs. Tinydahl's dumb project, and we mentioned you. Are you satisfied now?"

"No, I'm not satisfied," said Rockett. "I heard you saying things about how miserable I was just because I wasn't going to be paired up with Ruben. Like, how totally dumb is that?"

"Like, totally not dumb at _all_. Admit it, Rockett. You _wanted_ to be paired up with Ruben," reasoned Stephanie.

"Well, yeah, maybe it's because he's my _boyfriend_," Rockett retorted.

Stephanie and Whitney gasped, and looked at each other, mouths agape.

"He _IS_?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear in homeroom? It's like, all over the school," Rockett informed them.

"Actually, we were in the bathroom touching up our makeup during that class," said Stephanie. "Mr. Baldus is _soooo _strange."

"...I didn't know that, Rockett," said Whitney. "Wow, that's really great. I always thought you and Ruben would make a fantastic couple."

"You did?" asked Rockett.

Whitney nodded. "Totally!" she exclaimed. "So like, how did you two get together? Was it before or after he asked you to that great party?"

"Guys," Jessie tried to cut in.

"After," said Rockett dreamily, as her smile returned.

"Ohmigosh! Really?" Whitney asked.

"Guys," Jessie tried again.

"Totally," said Rockett, who had just noticed Jessie. "But more on that later. Right now, Jessie and I have to get to class."

"Yeah. Well, okay Rockett," said Whitney. "See you later!"

"Yeah," said Stephanie. "Maybe next time we see you we can talk about this whole Ruben thing...that is, if Nicole hasn't already stolen him away from you. There's not a guy in this school who can resist Nicole...especially not while working on the marriage project. But anyway, I know you have to get to class. So watch out, Rockett!" Stephanie chirped just before they left.

Rockett gulped. Ruben...falling for Nicole during the project? Could that really happen?

_"Ruben! I want a latte. No cream, no sugar, and preferably around two-hundred degrees," ordered Nicole. _

_"Whatever you say, darling," Ruben gushed. _

_"Ugh! We've been over this a million times, Rosales. It's 'O' Beautiful One' - now is that so hard for you to remember? Aaah! Ohh, I just broke a nail! Oh, this is hideous! Ruben! Go fetch my nail file! _

_"Anything for you, O' Beautiful One!" _

_"This plan worked out just like me - flawless!" cackled Nicole. "I get a slave, and that miserable Rockett girl gets a failing grade! Ohh, sometimes I just outdo myself - and I wasn't even there that morning! Ruben, sweetie, don't I make such a better partner than that dopey, little Rockett Movado?" _

_"Rockett who?" inquired Ruben. "Say...what kind of name is 'Rockett' anyway? _

_"Doesn't matter," said Nicole. "She's doomed anyway. Now she'll have to spend the rest of her totally miserable days locked up in that old, dusty, detention cell! Mwahaha!" _

_"O' Beautiful One, you're quite the genius," said Ruben. _

_"Yes I am, aren't I? Ugh, but please. Tell me something I don't already know, Rosales."_

'_Ohmigosh_!' thought Rockett. '_I CANNOT let that happen_!' All of a sudden, she blinked and glanced around. She was sitting at her desk, and Jessie was right next to her, wearing a horrifed expression. It was like waking up from a nightmare...or, er, daymare, since she had been daydreaming.

Suddenly, Jessie interrupted Rockett's wavering thoughts.

"Hey, Rockett, is everything okay? You look a little bit sick."

"What? Oh, I'm fine, Jess," lied Rockett. "Hey, have you seen Ruben?"

"Not since our last class. Aww, Rockett. That is so sweet that he fixed his schedule to match yours."

"Well, not exactly," said Rockett. "I mean, yeah, he did 'try' and all, but he still won't be in our next class. Figures..."

"What do you mean, Rockett? He did _try_, didn't he? And from what I can tell, it wasn't as easy as he made it look. It's a lot of work getting your schedule changed up in the middle of the year. He probably had to move around his band practice and stuff, too."

"...Wonder if he'd do that for Nicole," Rockett muttered under her breath.

"What'd you say, Rockett?"

"Oh, nothing."

Jessie frowned. She could definitely see something weird was going on with her friend, and as of now, she had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"...You're not still upset about what happened in Mrs. Tinydahl's class, are you?" Jessie asked gently.

"Me?" asked Rockett. "No way! Not really, I mean, it's just a project. Nothin' to it."

It _was_ just a project...wasn't it?


	5. Lunchtime Blues

Chapter 5: Lunchtime Blues

_"Hey, Rockett, it's Ruben - where ya been? I haven't seen you since this morning. Can we catch up at lunch? I'll be at our usual table, which is as far away from Mr. Pill as possible, just how you like. By the way, I'm really sorry about the whole note-passing thing that went down in English...it was my fault for starting it. I promise I'll make it up to you. Well, if you get this message, meet me over in the lunch room. I'll feel pretty lousy if my girl doesn't sit with me."_

Rockett heaved a sigh of relief as she checked her pocket GMG. She was totally over-reacting. Ruben was obviously into her, not Nicole. He'd even called her _'_his girl._' _And this was, after all, their first day at Whistling Pines as a couple. So of course there'd be drama.

Rockett gathered up her things, and prepared to start walking over to the lunch room.

"ROCKETT!" a voice yelled from behind her. Rockett whirled around.

"Hi, Miko! What's up?"

"Apparently you and Ruben," said Miko. "Why didn't you tell me, Rockett? I've been trying to track you down all day, you know."

Rockett smiled shyly. "Oh, that. You didn't hear about us this morning? Like, in homeroom?"

Miko laughed. "I heard Cleve and Mr. Baldus teasing you guys, but didn't think too much of it, since they always do that anyway. And it's _always_ been so totally obvious about you and Ruben. I was telling Nakili earlier that I just couldn't believe that you both are aware of it now! I'm _sooo_ happy for you two!"

"Thanks, Miko," giggled Rockett. Although she was feeling worried about the whole Ruben-Nicole-project-thing, she was feeling much better now.

"You're welcome, Rockett. So, do you want to sit together at lunch? I mean, you're probably going to sit with Ruben, since he's your boyfriend and all..."

"Actually, I _was_ going to sit with Ruben, but I don't see why you can't join us," Rockett said cheerily as the two girls approached the cafeteria.

"Hey, thanks for letting me join you guys," Miko said as they sat down at Ruben and Rockett's usual table. "I don't mean to be like, a third wheel or anything."

"No worries, Miko," Rockett said. "It'll be more fun with all of us, anyway."

Miko smiled. "So where's Ruben?" she asked. "Buying you lunch, perhaps?"

Rockett blushed. "Ohh, I don't know," she replied with a shy smile. "I think he's coming back from his next class or something. He sent me a message earlier asking me to meet him here."

"Oh, okay," said Miko. "Well, as long as he's not here yet, I think I'll go buy my lunch now. Hopefully it's nothing too bad, because I forgot to bring my lunch today."

"_Hola, chica_!" called Ruben as he made his way to Rockett's table. "I checked the menu, and today's special is liver-wurst sandwiches - so I brought us something else instead!"

"Ohh, Ruben, that's so sweet!" said Rockett. "You didn't have to do that."

Ruben smiled. "Well, I wanted to. So take your pick, Red. What'll it be? I got all sorts of _delicioso_ delicacies, plus some of my mom's famous guacamole. For two, of course."

Rockett returned his smile. "I'd love to try some. Any meal that's Pill-free sounds good to me."

"Eww, Rockett. You won't believe what today's special is," Miko said as she plopped down at the table.

"Lemme guess," Rockett said. "Liver-wurst sandwiches?"

"With a side of brussels sprouts," Miko whined. "Ugh, I did _not_ pick a good day to forget my lunch. Soooo, what's that you guys are eating?"

"This?" asked Ruben. "Just some food from home."

"I wish_ I _would have brought food from home. Now I'm stuck eating this liver-_worst_ sandwich, which by the way, is totally disgusting."

"Well, Ruben only brought enough for two," Rockett said slowly. "But you can have this guacamole. It's really good stuff!"

"Wow! Thanks! Are you sure Rockett? I love guacamole," said Miko, without hesitating to lean over and snatch up the entire bowl. "Ruben, did you bring chips as well?" Miko asked, her mouth full of green guac.

Ruben tried his best to hide his disgusted facial expression, which was slowly etching its way onto his face. Miko didn't notice. "Uh, yeah, sure. Here ya go, Miko," he said, opening up a plastic ziplock.

"Thanks."

For a moment, only the sound of Miko's loud chewing and smacking could be heard, as Ruben and Rockett slowly picked at their food. At first, the meal Ruben had brought sounded great, but suddenly it wasn't so appetizing...

"So, uh, Rockett, how's your day been so far?" Ruben asked finally.

"It's been okay," Rockett said. "I mean, it's had its ups and downs, of course. But ever since lunch, or rather since I'd gotten your message on my GMG earlier, things are definitely looking up," she said with a wink. Ruben smiled. "So how was your day?" she asked him.

Miko, who must have thought Rockett was talking to her, spoke up. "Ugh! My day has been _sooo_ annoying! I mean, first I totally missed out on you guys' big news in homeroom, and then I was late to my next class, and Bo tried to send me to the principal's office! I mean, I know he's just doing his job and everything, but he can be _such_ an annoying person! I just hope things get better in art class."

"...Yeah, well, listen, I gotta go Rockett. I promised a friend I'd meet with them after lunch," Ruben said, standing up.

"Oh yeah," Miko added. "And I forgot my lunch."

Rockett ignored her. "But, Ruben, lunch isn't even over yet," she protested.

"Well, I kinda have to be there early, you know? Anyway, I'll catch up with you later. _Adios_, Rockett. See you later, Miko," Ruben said before quickly leaving.

Rockett was shocked. Since when did Ruben leave early for lunch? He was usually the last person left in the cafeteria.

Miko glanced at the clock. "We'd better jam too, if we want to make it on time for Mr. Rarebit," she said, picking up her trash.

Rockett pouted. For once, she wasn't looking forward to art class.

And that was saying a lot.


	6. Head On Collision

Chapter 6: Head-On Collision

Rockett wished she would have had time to write in her journal before art class. But, as usual, they had taken too long at lunch, and she and Miko were already on the verge of being late. Even though Rockett wasn't thrilled about sitting through another class, she was at least grateful that Stephanie wasn't in her art class to make matters worse.

Rockett sighed. The day had been going so well, why did Mrs. Tinydahl have to ruin everything?

_'Actually_,_'_ Rockett thought glumly. _'It was me who ruined everything. I knew better than to pass notes in THAT class.'_

As soon as Art let out, Rockett raced to her locker, put away her paint and paper (this week they were experimenting with water colors) and pulled out her journal.

_Meggie Muffin,_

_They say having a boyfriend's really great, but how do I know if Ruben still even WANTS to be my boyfriend after today? (Just so you know, earlier I did something totally lame in my English class, that probably lowered any feelings Ruben has for me, and he left early when we were sitting together at lunch) He changed his schedule up a bit, so we'd have more class time together, and I pretty much repayed him by ruining our project (marriage project ~ I'll tell you more about that tonight on the phone, not that I really want to talk about it). Long story short, Nicole Whittaker is his new partner. I hate this. And I wish you were here. Nobody gives advice like you do, Meg._

_~Rockett_

Rockett closed her journal and sighed. Just a few more classes to go, and she'd be done. She'd be free to go home and forget all about this completely exhausting day.

"Hey, Rockett!" Max called. Rockett turned to see Max making his way down the hall. Oddly enough, he wasn't accompanied by Cleve or even Chaz.

"Oh. Hey, Max. What's up?" she asked.

"As of right now, History, and I'm really not looking forward to going at the moment," Max replied.

Rockett cocked an eyebrow. Max the Man wasn't in the mood to show up to another class to crack jokes, show off and hog attention? Since when?

"Me neither," said Rockett. "It's been a long day."

"It sure has," Max said. "So, what about that ca-razy project we got going on in English...?" It wasn't what he said, but the way he said it that made Rockett stop and realize Max was not at all happy about the arrangement. He was obviously hurt.

"You mean, you're not looking forward to it either?"

"Not really. If Mrs. Tinydahl was going to assign us a fun project like this, she should have at least given us partners we actually like, you know? Like, for instance, I really wanted to be paired with-"

"Rockett!" Jessie yelled as she came running down the hall. "Oh, hi, Max! I've been looking for you guys everywhere! We're going to be late to History!"

For the slightest moment, Rockett could have sworn Max had just blushed bright red. Then again, she had definitely been a little off her rocker this afternoon, so maybe not.

"Alright, you guys," Rockett said as she gathered up the rest of her books for History. "Let's go."

"Whew," Rockett sighed as she pulled her backpack out of her locker. It had definitely been a long day. And her last class didn't exactly make things any better - Stephanie had decided to sit by her, and oh-so-accidentially bring up all of the guys Nicole had managed to sweep right off of their feet in the past. Normally, Stephanie wasn't _this_ bad, but maybe it was because the Ones queen bee was out today, and she had to step it up.

Rockett finished putting away her things, collected her journal and backpack, closed her locker door and turned around. From her locker, she could see Ruben coming down the hall, carrying some sort of note. At first, she thought Ruben was headed her way, since he was supposed to meet her by her locker at the end of the day. But a second later, Ruben turned the corner and disappeared. Rockett frowned. The hallway Ruben had just turned into was the left wing of the school. There wasn't really anything of importance there, except for about five lockers. Suddenly, it dawned on Rockett.

One of the lockers belonged to Nicole Whittaker.

Rockett froze for a second. Would Ruben really do that to her? Was it possible that he really was excited about working with Nicole? There was only one way to find out. Hot on his trail, Rockett raced down the hall.

"Ouch!" she yelled, as she collided face-first into someone.

Rockett glanced up. "Ruben?" she asked, rubbing her head. Ruben knelt down to gently help her up. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry, Rockett. I really did a job on your head. Are you okay?"

"Uhhh...I think so," Rockett said, still taken aback by the sudden collision that had just occurred in the hall. Ruben's eyes widened as he noticed that Rockett wasn't telling him the truth.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's get you to the nurse."

Ruben and Rockett entered the school nurse's office. "Yello?" Ruben called as he slid open the door. "Anybody home?"

The school nurse quickly appeared back in her office. "Sorry, had to deal with a bloody-nosed seventh grader. Not a pretty sight," she said, shaking her head. For a nurse, this woman certainly did not like to see a lot of blood. "Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Rosales?"

"Nothing for me," Ruben replied. "But Rockett here's got a bump on her head larger than the Whistling Pines mascot. Do you think maybe you could take a look at it?"

"Well, let's see," said the nurse. "Here, Rockett, come up here on the counter and let me look at your head."

Rockett nodded, as Ruben and the nurse hoisted her up on the countertop.

"Hmmm. Well, I'm happy to report that no serious damage was done here. It doesn't look very good, but the bump should be gone by tomorrow or so. In the meantime, take some pain relievers if your head starts throbbing," said the nurse. "By the way, how did this happen?"

Rockett slowly looked up at Ruben, a slightly-annoyed expression on her face. It of course wasn't his fault, but if he hadn't been sneaking down the halls when he was _supposed_ to be at her locker, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"We, uh, ran into each other in the hallways," said Ruben.

The nurse said nothing and pointed to a sign directly above her head: "How To Avoid One Of The Most Common Middle-School Blunders: DON'T RUN IN THE HALLS.

Ruben nodded. "Ahh."

"Well, Missy Movado, you look like you'll be just fine. Thank you, Ruben, for walking her over here," the nurse said.

"The pleasure's all mine," Ruben said kindly. "Okay, Rockett, let's go."

Ruben and Rockett left the nurse's office and headed back down the halls. "I'm glad everything's okay," Ruben said thankfully. "I should've watched where I was going. Either that, or you should take care to slow down sometimes, _chica_." He meant it as a joke, but Rockett didn't find it very funny. "What were you doing down those halls, anyway, Ruben? Your locker's down the other side, isn't it?" she asked.

Ruben looked hesitant. "I, uh, needed to take care of something," he said sheepishly.

"Over there?" she asked.

"Uhhh, yeah. I needed to drop something off."

"Drop something off where?"

"Uhhh...listen, Rockett, it's really nothing. I just had to meet up with someone. You know, to discuss something kind of _importante_. But it's all good now."

Rockett stopped in her tracks. "No, it's_ not_!"

Ruben stopped too, obviously confused. "What do you mean?"

"No offense or anything Ruben, but you've kind of been avoiding me all day, ever since English class. And you completely ditched me at lunch. I thought we were going to sit together," she said.

Ruben looked hurt. "Avoiding you? Rockett, I've been _looking_ for you all day. And about lunch, I really didn't mean to ditch you, I just had something I had to take care of."

"I know, I know," Rockett sighed. But before she could get much further, the final bell rang for dismissal.


	7. Take His Advice

Chapter 7: Take His Advice

Rockett was so annoyed, that after the dismissal bell had rung, she grabbed her things and boarded the bus before anyone else could bother her. She didn't normally react this way, but she was just so hurt she didn't know how to deal with it. Ruben had obviously been hiding something from her all day. And after she'd caught him sneaking down the hallway to Nicole's locker - it had just been too much.

Rockett slowly lifted her hand to feel the bump on her head. It hadn't gone down much, but it was probably due to all of the stress. She sighed. At least Ruben hadn't gotten hurt when the two had smacked into each other...

When the bus stopped at her house, Rockett got out, ran inside, and dashed up straight to her bedroom.

_Riiing-Riiiiing! Riiiiiiing!_

The phone rang. Rockett dove for her purple phone. It was probably Meg, and she could definitely use the advice and support of her very best friend in the world right now.

"Hello?" Rockett answered anxiously.

"Hey, hey, Rockett!"

Cleve.

"Uh, hi, Cleve. What's up?"

"Wow, someone doesn't sound so excited to talk to me. What's going on with you, Rockett? I know you're taken and all, but still, the ladies always love to talk with the Cleve-meister!"

Rockett rolled her eyes as Cleve continued to babble. This was just the sort of behaviour she expected from him. This project was the pits.

"Listen, Cleve," she interrupted. "I kind of need to use my phone right now to make another call. Was there something you needed?"

"Makin' another call, huh? _Ruben_ perhaps?" Cleve asked slyly.

"Actually, no," came Rockett's response. She had really needed to talk to Meg! "Someone else. Anyway, did you need something?"

For a moment, Cleve didn't answer.

"...Wow. Uh, well, yeah. I wondered what time we could get together to start working on this whole project-thing after school tomorrow. But I see you're kind of busy. Well, I'll talk to you later." Before Rockett could respond, Cleve had already hung up. As the dial tone rang, Rockett frowned. _'That was weird_.'

After Cleve had hung up, Rockett called Meg to dish out the day's events. But even though Meg had been helpful, Rockett still battled with the big, green, jealousy monster. She couldn't wait to get to school. She HAD to know what was going on between Ruben and Nicole. Rockett whirled around and glanced at the clock. 5:16. Nicole _was_ supposed to be back in the evening...for a moment, Rockett wondered if she should call Nicole, maybe even warn her to back off from Ruben.

_'Not a good move_,' Rockett realized. _'Nicole would probably find it funny, and use it to her own sick advantage_.'

Rockett fell back on her bed. Maybe she should call Ruben? No, she decided, just as quickly. It was probably best if she just left him alone - she'd been ignoring his calls all day anyway.

"Okay," Rockett said as she plopped her flour sack onto the kitchen table. "Here is our kid, Cleve. What do you want to name him?"

It was the next day, after school, and Rockett and Cleve were seated at the Movado's kitchen table, busy working on their assignment.

The day hadn't gone too terribly, since Rockett had spent most of the day avoiding Ruben, so as not to get even _more_ hurt (if that was possible). Now, she was more than ready to just sit down, brush off the day's junk, and move on with her project.

"Cleve Junior," Cleve responded coolly.

"Cleve _Junior_?" Rockett repeated. "No way. How about something else?"

"Fine then, how about just Cleve - but we call him 'Junior.'"

Rockett arched her brow. "How about _'no'_?"

"Well, what would you rather name him? _'Ruben'_?"

_"_Rockett rolled her eyes. "No, Cleve!"

This time, Cleve arched his brow. "Really. Well, Rockett, I don't know if this is just me, but lately you've seemed sort of...angry with him?"

"I'm _not_ angry with him. I'm just a little confused is all."

"Yeah, right."

"Fine then, you really want to know, Cleve? Yesterday I caught Ruben sneaking down the hallway in the left wing - a.k.a., a certain _Ones _queen's locker."

"Ohh, little Rockett. You worry too much," Cleve replied smoothly. "He was probably just stoppin' by the lil' boy's room." Normally, Rockett would have laughed. But today, she was certainly in no mood.

"No, he wasn't," Rockett said, annoyed. "And anyway, the restrooms are on the other side!

"Look, Rockett," Cleve said, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "I know you think Ruben might be really complex and all, but I know him pretty well. And I know he's totally crazy about you. So don't worry about this thing anymore. I think you're jumping to conclusions."

Rockett was totally surprised. Was this really Cleve? Who knew he had such a talent for comforting? Meg hadn't even done this good when she and Rockett had talked the other night.

"Wow. Well, thanks Cleve," Rockett said. "I guess I have been acting a little crazy lately."

Cleve's usual demeanor returned. "Didn't want to mention it," he smirked.

"Well, I'm through acting this way. Would you excuse me for a minute? I think I'll go call Ruben now," Rockett said, standing up.

Back in her room, Rockett nervously reached for the phone. It'd take some nerve, but she knew she needed to call Ruben and apologize. She just hoped he wasn't too upset with her.

The phone picked up. "Ruben?" Rockett asked.

"Don't talk to me."

Rockett stood, listening to the dial tone. She was completely speechless.

After countless tears, Rockett decided she had finally had enough. She'd spent so much time crying anyway, and she was completely out of tears now. After tucking herself into bed, she stared up at her star-covered ceiling and moped. Cleve had been wrong; wrong about Ruben and wrong about everything else, too. How did everything get so crazy all of a sudden?

She sighed. There was no point in trying to sleep through all of this. She got up and made her way to her desk to check email. She hoped Meg had responded. She felt like she needed her now more than ever.

Rockett scanned her inbox for a message from Meg.

_Rock!_

_Hey, best friend. I'm soooo sorry about your day yesterday! Now, I know you probably feel bad and everything, but you've gotta remember - things will get better. I don't want you to feel upset - it's only the worst feeling in the world for me, you know;( My advice to you is that maybe you should try to talk to Ruben again. I don't think that boy - Cleve was it? - was wrong when he said that Ruben is totally crazy about you. Just call him up or email him or something and give him another chance to explain himself. You can't just automatically assume the worst. Anyway, I've kept you for too long reading this, so I'll see you later, Rock! Don't worry, okay?:)_

_Best of luck!_

_-Meg_

Rockett had to admit that reading Meg's message had made her feel a little better. But still, Meg wasn't Ruben, and only Ruben could clear things up for her now. She just wished she wouldn't have avoided him all day in school. She hadn't even bothered to check her GMG for his messages. Or her email for that matter...

EMAIL! That was it! It might have been too late to call, and Ruben may not have been wanting to answer, but still! Maybe she could apologize through the web!

_'Ohh_,_' _thought Rockett. _'Ruben probably won't even check his inbox if he sees a message from me in there. But, on the other hand, it's definitely worth a shot. I can't fall asleep with this guilty conscience, anyhow. And Ruben's way too important to ignore_!'

Rockett finished up her reply to Meg, sent the message, and then prepared to compose a new message to Ruben. But just as she was about to do so, she found a message from him in her inbox!

_Rockett,_

_I am so sorry about earlier - I couldn't go to sleep without apologizing first. I feel like I've wrecked everything. Anyway, I'm really sorry about how I acted on the phone. Cleve had told me earlier when we were hanging out that you were seeing someone else; I didn't know how to react. I know you probably hate me for believing that, and I know I'm probably the worst boyfriend ever, but I really do hope you'll forgive me. I guess this is kind of lame of me to send you a message that you probably won't even read, but still. Couldn't go without saying sorry to you. I decided it was worth a shot. _

_-Ruben_

Rockett couldn't believe the email! Ruben wanted to apologize to _her_? For what? _She_ was the one who had been avoiding him all day! It took a while to express her many thoughts, but Rockett was a fast writer. She quickly typed out her apology to him:

_Ruben,_

_I can't believe you're the one saying sorry to me! I'm the one who acted like an overly-dramatic, totally-jealous jerk. I'm so sorry, Ruben. The truth is, I was SO beyond upset when I found out you'd be working with Nicole on the marriage project. And then I started assuming the worst. I guess I created this whole messed-up idea in my head that you were going to start to like Nicole once you started working on the project with her. Again I'm really sorry! If you want to, meet me at the bus stop tomorrow morning and I'll explain everything in person. _

_-Rockett_

_P.S. I'm NOT seeing anyone else :)_

Rockett smiled as she sent the email out to Ruben. She felt as though a weight had been lifted. She stifled a yawn as she quickly sent another message out to Meg, explaining to her what happened. And then, after she'd turned off her computer, Rockett fell instantly asleep.


	8. No Show

Chapter 8: No Show

"Alright, Cleve," said Rockett. "I can't believe I'm asking you this, but - how do I look?" She and Cleve were in Rockett's room. They had been working on their project for English all afternoon (much to Rockett's surprise - she had no idea Cleve could sit still and stay focused for _that_ long) and now she was almost ready to go and meet Ruben at the bus stop, as promised.

Cleve whistled. "Lookin' good, Rockett."

Rockett blushed. "Okay, I guess that's good enough for me, then. Well, I'm gonna go meet Ruben, so I'll see you later! Don't forget: we still haven't finished filling out our journals. Make sure you work on that when you get home."

"Yeah, yeah. Later, Rockett," Cleve said as he sprinted out the front door.

_'I knew he couldn't hold in all that energy much longer_,_'_ Rockett thought as she watched Cleve depart. _'Okay, now for more important things_._ Like smoothing everything over with Ruben_!_'_

The bus stop wasn't far, but it wasn't exactly close, on account of Rockett would have to walk much slower to keep her new earrings from falling out of place. She'd bought them recently, and she really liked them - they were small, circle shapes, with various splotches of orange and purple colors. More designs filled the background - swirls, shapes, a rainbow. She liked them because they looked like something she'd design herself, if she could. She definitely wanted to wear them in front of Ruben, who usually took notice of her creative and artistic side. Especially now more than ever, since they'd been together.

Rockett tried her best to pick up the pace. She didn't want to be late. She'd already told Ruben she'd meet him sometime after late afternoon. Later she'd clarified through email 7pm sharp - figuring that it was the perfect time. So as long as Ruben didn't have band practice or anything. He usually did after school, but lately he'd cancelled a lot of them so he and Rockett could spend more time with each other.

Rockett paused on account of that thought - Ruben _cancelling_ his band practice? She certainly hadn't thought of that before. It was huge! In the old days, before they'd really gotten to know each other, Ruben wouldn't cancel his rehearsals for anything - or anyone - in the world. The thought of it made her glow. So why _had_ she felt so jealous before? Clearly, the boy had a very special place in his heart for her.

Rockett glanced down at her wristwatch. It was getting massively late! Darting off at full speed, Rockett didn't stop until she saw the sign ahead for the bus stop. When she'd finally arrived, she was out of breath - she'd been running for nearly ten minutes, no rests, as fast as she could possibly travel. Ruben cancelled his band practices to be with her; there was no way she was going to make him wait around.

She finally caught her breath, and glanced around. Perhaps she was a tad delirious from running so fast. She took a minute, paused, and then looked again. No sign of Ruben.

She waited. He was probably running just a little late. No big.

She waited some more. No Ruben.

When it finally started to get dark out, Rockett noticed that the moon had already set in its usual place in the sky. She glanced at her watch. 8:01. She'd been waiting for over an hour!

If she had any hopes about Ruben's feelings for her, she'd let them go on the spot. As she ran back home, she begin to forget about everything - the band practice cancellations, the emails, the notes in her locker from school.

And where her mind had forgotten about these things, it remembered something else. Very clearly.

"Don't talk to me."

Ruben's cold words from the night before echoed in her mind over and over again...until she really felt she couldn't handle them anymore...not like she even could before. Dashing up to her room, Rockett fell on her bed, wishing she knew how to make things right again. Ruben hadn't showed. That was all there was to it.

But, maybe she could call him again, see what happened. If that didn't work, she could always try email, or instant messaging.

Twenty minutes later, Rockett felt hopeless.

She'd called three times. No answer.

She'd checked her email. No recent replies.

She'd even logged into IM. He hadn't been online.

And by the time she'd finally realized the situation was completely out of her hands, Rockett had tried her best to fall asleep. The sooner she got to morning, the more control she'd have.

But after over two and a half hours of tossing and turning, Rockett remembered the reason she couldn't fall asleep. The student's school break started tomorrow. Which meant if she couldn't get in touch with Ruben...

Rockett's eyes widened. She wouldn't see him in school for the rest of the month!


	9. Feedback

Chapter 9: Feedback

Six days had passed since Rockett had last received note from Ruben. He hadn't shown at the bus stop, he hadn't answered her calls, or her emails or IMs. School was out for good - or at least until the break was over. Normally, breaks were exciting. But lately, Rockett secretly wished she was back in school.

The days she'd spent with Cleve leading up to the project due date hadn't been nearly as traumatizing as Rockett had assumed. She had definitely had her hands full with the guy - who's ADD had been kicking into over time. Lately, though, Rockett and Cleve had been cramming like crazy just to fit in all the hundreds of tiny details their English teacher had placed into the assignment. There was so much going on, Rockett hadn't even had time to worry about Ruben. In fact, she hadn't even bothered to ask Cleve's advice on the matter. She desperately wanted things to be fixed, but she knew better than to involve Cleve. It had made such a mess of things last time. And although he could be a tad annoying and spacey at times, he and Rockett were really moving along with their assignment.

Now, it was the day before the project, and the last day of the break. Rockett and Cleve had all their main points taken care of, including their occupations, journal entries - they had even decided on a name for their 'flour child.' Rockett was glad they hadn't picked 'Cleveland.'

_**'Dear Diary,**_

_**It's me, Rockett Movado! Or should I say 'Goodstaff?' I'm now an accomplished artist and (even though it took a while to arrive at this position) it's the most rewarding thing - second to being a mother, of course. Cleve and I have a child named Sam who's talented in both art and sports - so we know he's going to make it totally big someday. In our eyes, so far, he's already at the top of the charts!;)'**_

Much to Rockett's surprise, Cleve had managed to complete his journal today as well. She'd read through his a bit earlier. Granted, it was a tad on the shallow side - but still really good!

_**'Hello!**_

_**Mr. Cleve Goodstaff here, husband to the talented and artistic Rockett and father to the sports-obsessed Sam. I'd better watch out for him - he's almost as good as me! Ahaha. Just kidding. Anyway, I'd say married life is a heck of a lot less difficult than I thought it'd be. As long as I'm living life as an up-and-coming sports star slash millionaire, and makin' bank for the coolest family on earth, I'm good.'**_

Although things had been running smoothly for Rockett and Cleve, other students weren't doing as well...

"Okay, Stephanie. Let's go over this one more time," Bo said. He and Stephanie had been working on their project in the food court of the mall, next to one of Stephanie's favorite stores. She had only agreed to meet him there so she could meet the rest of her friends and hit the stores afterwards. Still, it _was_ the day before, and whether she liked it or not, she'd have to finish up with Bo.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Fine," she snapped. Stephanie stood and announced her 'married lifestyle'. "I'm busy modeling fabulous fashions around the globe. You're at home and you're a mall cop, which explains why we're always in this place. My child, Marcella, is a beautiful little girl who naturally follows in the footsteps of her very successful and talented mother."

Bo rolled his eyes. "Don't you mean _our_ child?"

Stephanie stared at Bo as if he were a squashed bug. "As if, Pezanski!" she countered.

"Whatever. Do you at least have your journal entries? Only those can save us now."

Stephanie scowled at him as she pulled out her journal.

_**'Dear Diary, **_

_**Well, this project definitely tanks. So far, I'm married to a mall cop, and it doesn't get much better than that. I'd rather focus on what's really important, like my career as an international celeb (something my - dare I say it? - 'husband' could never in his right mind achieve). Tomorrow, I plan to travel to Paris to model some of my own designs, and maybe even bring along my gorgeous little girl, Marcella, to come and model some of my designs with me. It will be a mother-daughter-baby line. If I want that kind of line, the company better make way!'**_

Bo rolled his eyes at her again as he took out his own journal.

_**'Mrs. Tinydahl,**_

_**Don't fail me just because I was forced to marry an airhead. I didn't come this far to get held back. Long story made short, Stephanie named the kid Marcia or something like that, and she thinks the she should grow up to be a model. I, being the husband, personally think that our daughter should grow up to be a magician or a computer hacker. I just thank that'd be cool.'**_

Bo slammed his journal shut. "Nice working with you," he said sarcastically.

Stephanie ignored him. "Oh, hi, Kim!" she called as she saw one of her fellow Ones members approaching. "Ready to go shopping? I hear our fave store just released that new brand of pretty in pink eyeshadow! We should go check it out!" And with that, Stephanie joined Kim and left Bo all by himself at the table.

Bo, was at least happy that she was gone.

Another pair of partners from the class, who were sitting not far away from where Stephanie and Bo had been, were Max and Whitney, who were working on the project themselves.

Max pouted as he pulled out his journal. "Are we almost done, Whitney? The Max Man needs to go stock up on a brand new cd collection."

Whitney let out a short, frustrated sigh. "Ugh, yes Max, we're almost done. I just want to make sure we have everything we need before we call quits. This project is due tomorrow, and I could really use the credit. You know English is so _not_ my strongest subject."

Max wasn't listening. "I wish I could have worked with Jessie," he said.

"Jessie?" Whitney asked. "Don't you mean Rockett? She's the one who's great in language arts. You would have made a much better grade working with her, you know. Ugh, Cleve is SO lucky! He's going to get a great grade working with her, and I'm sure he didn't do anything to deserve it."

Max nodded absently. "What? Oh yeah. Rockett's good at English."

Whitney groaned. Max obviously didn't care too much about their grade. Sighing, she whipped out her journal.

_**'Dear Diary,**_

_**I'm Whitney Diamond, TV anchorwoman slash TV personality. My husband, Max, is a millionaire. We both have great jobs, but we're lucky enough to have an even greater child who's adorable in every way possible. She's also really good in Language Arts, unlike myself. I'm sure she'll grow up to be really, really smart...'**_

"Max, I'm nearly done. Are you finished also?" Whitney asked.

"Yup," Max said, handing Whitney his journal. She gathered it, and along with her own put it into a binder titled 'Marriage Project'.

_**'Hey, hey!**_

_**This is Max the Man comin' atcha with 1.5 million bucks! It's going smooth, I can't complain. I'm married to one of the world's most successful tv personalities, I drive a red-hot Ferrari, and when I'm not driving that, I'm driving my Rolls Royce...or my Jaguar. Tomorrow, I'm taking our child out shopping to pick out her first Mercedes Benz for when she turns sixteen (my wife, Whitney's orders). Then, I'm gonna see if the producers still wanna take me up on that offer for shooting my very first spy flick, titled 'Max Diamond In Action!' This'll be a good year for the Diamonds, no doubt.'**_

Not far from the mall, at the Whistling Pines' school library, Arrow and Arnold were finishing up their marriage project. Arnold was researching baby names from 'The Galaxy Alien's Most Popular Names'. Arrow was busy scribbling in her journal.

_**'Dear Diary,**_

_**My life as a singer-songwriter is quite challenging. I only have a number of days to write a song for the International Music Awards. And I also have to make time for my husband...Arnold. And the baby, of course. Even though we're old, Viva and Ginger and I are still together as a band and stronger than ever. If we win these awards, I want to donate all the money I can in order to save the endangered species. I can't imagine my child growing up without ever getting to see them herself! Talk about brutal! What's my child's name, you ask? Personally, I wanted to go with the name 'Forest Whisperer,' but Arnold declined. So now here we are on the last day before the project, picking out a name for our child. This should be interesting...'**_

"Fair maiden and wife of mine, 'twas a hard decision to come to, but I finally have found the name for which to name this young child of ours!"

Arrow sighed. "What is it, Arnold? Please don't pick out anything too weird. I want the child to be able to be in touch with the world around her, not outer space."

"How about a name from 'Galaxies Above Ours?" inquired Arnold. Upon saying this, Arnold took out his journal and begin to write.

_**'Arm yourselves!**_

_**We haven't crossed your galaxy yet, but when we do, we will embrace you with our futuristic selves, Arrow and I and our child - Xenedron! He hails from a faraway planet, much like our own Purple Orchid, and we have taken the great liberty to adopt him. He is a fine young embryo, and he shall follow in the footsteps of me, an alien warrior and conqueror! Soon, my young child shall fight the forces of evil and defend our planet!'**_

"Um, Arnold?" Arrow asked as she stole a glance at Arnold's journal. "Your journal says our child is a boy, and mine says it's a girl. How do we decide?"

"Siamese twins," Arnold answered. Arrow groaned.

"Okay, Chaz," said Jessie. "Done with your journal?"

"Yep, it's _all_ here," Chaz replied.

"Good," Jessie smiled. She and Chaz had gotten along very well as they worked on the marriage project. Even though Chaz was a long-time member of The Ones, he and Jessie had managed to pull of the assignment pretty well, considering that they were both laid-back and overall non-confrontational. They'd made a good team.

'_**Dear Diary,**_

_**Things are running smoothly in the Chaz Family - we have a wonderful little boy named John, who's growing bigger and stronger every day. Chaz is a professional basketball player, and I'm a homemaker, but I also study Egyptology in my spare time. I enjoy my life very much, and I'm excited for this weekend, because my husband Chaz is bringing home a surprise - our first puppy! I'm going to ask John what he'd like to name the puppy, and take him with me when we take the dog out for walks. Hmm...I've heard golden retrievers make great family pets...'**_

'_**Yo, Journal,**_

_**Chaz here, and everything is happenin' for me and Jessie - we've got it all! A great life, a great kid and great jobs! I'm looking forward to winning the playoffs this weekend. Hopefully if everything turns out well, I'm gonna surprise the fam with a lil' dog - which I happen to think would make an excellent addition to our upbeat lifestyles. I'd rather have another room remodeled in our house so I can put up my fifty-two trophies, but if Jessie and little John want a dog, I guess it's up to me, the man in da house, to make it happen.'**_

Meanwhile, Nicole and Ruben were working on their project...well, they were trying, at least.

"Ruben, can you _please_ put that guitar down for one minute? The noise is _really_ starting to get on my nerves," Nicole said.

"Noise? Nicole, I already told you. If you wanted to finish the project, you should have asked to do it earlier - like when I didn't have to rehearse," Ruben said back.

"Puh-lease," snorted Nicole. "I didn't have any time earlier. Celeste and I were off getting our pedicures done, and I had plenty of other things to do than to come over here any earlier than I'm here now."

Ruben rolled his eyes. "Well, you're here now, so can we please just try to focus? This is due tomorrow, you know."

"What_ever_," Nicole said, obviously annoyed. "Well, I already know how my fabulous lifestyle has turned out." As she spoke, Nicole rose to her platform sandals. "Now, where was I? Oh yes - The Nicole Life. I married a musician, so obviously _I_ needed to be the source of income for this family-"

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Ruben asked, frowning.

"Anyway," Nicole said, ignoring him. "As an independant woman, I became the most powerful and successful woman in court, defending the law, what is good, what is right, and what is always in fashion. My beloved little darling, Nicole Whittaker II, is a perfect little child. She always eats her vegetables, and she _never_ cries."

"Okay," Ruben interrupted. "That's not exactly realistic, Nicole."

"Someday she'll grow up to be just like me! Just as everyone else around me wishes, we hope that day comes_ very _soon!"

"Are we done here?" Ruben asked. As Nicole continued to rant, Ruben filled out his journal.

'_**Hola, mi amigos!**_

_**Happy to say that even as a married man, I'm still able to travel with my band, Rebel Angels, and tour the globe. My 'wife' has a good career as well - something in law or politics or something. As for the kid, she's got it going on - at least until she grows up and is doomed to be like her mother. Band's going on tour next week. Wish us luck! Until then, this is Ruben Antonio Rosales signing off!'**_

He closed his journal and looked up. Nicole was still talking. "Hey, Nic. Why don't you write some of your 'Nicole Life' down in your journal, so you actually get credit for all this nonsense," Ruben suggested.

"Shut up, Ruben," Nicole quipped. "This is an _oral_ report. Or did you forget, silly boy?"

"I wonder how Rockett and Cleve are doing," Ruben muttered to himself.


	10. Presentations

Message Sent.

To: Stephanie Hollis, Whitney Weiss

From: Nicole Whittaker

Subject: How Totally Onederful Am I?

"Ladies, when things look hideous, just remember the silver-lining! Since I've been working with Rosales on that awful 'marriage' assignment (whatever!), I've even managed to find the good in that! I knew there was no way I wanted Ruben coming to work on the project at _my_ home, so I told him if he wanted a good grade, we'd simply just have to work at his house. Done deal. What can I say? I _always _get what I want. Anyway, here's the best part: I walk right in, and what's the first thing I notice? Fool leaves his computer on. Of course I go over to check. And what do I see? An email, from Rockett Movado - his beloved girlfriend. Apparently, the poor fool was jealous of _moi_ (who could blame her?), and she was totally trying to apologize by asking him to meet her at some utterly low-class place. I'll cut to the chase: I "accidentially" deleted that little memo, plus did what I could to see to it that Ruben gets grounded - so that's where he's been all month, if any of you have been wondering. Clueless, grounded, and totally alone. That's what he gets for making me do this stupid project with him (I heard if he wouldn't have switched his classes around, I wouldn't be in this hideous mess) I _so_ should have been paired with Wolf - or even Cleve for that matter. I suppose that even little Rockett gets her comeuppance by getting stood up and ignored. For stealing Cleve, it's a fair trade.

Kisses!

Xoxo,

N. Whittaker

Chapter 10: Presentations

"Wow, I can't believe it's finally here," Rockett said as she and Jessie strolled down the halls to homeroom.

"I know!" exclaimed Jessie. "This marriage project certainly took a lot of work! But, in the end, I think it worked out for the best. Chaz is really nice. I'm glad I got to know him better."

"But, Jessie, I thought you wanted to be partnered up with Max?"

"I did, but I can't feel too badly - no one in the class really got paired up with the person they wanted anyway."

_'You got that right,' _Rockett thought glumly to herself.

Jessie tried her best to shake it off. "It's really no big deal," she continued. "Anyway, I should probably ask you, Rockett. How did things go with Cleve?"

"Not nearly as bad as I thought. Actually, Cleve's really nice. He's helped me out through this whole thing," Rockett replied.

Jessie noticed something that sounded a bit like anxiety in her friend's voice. "Rockett, is everything okay? It seems like...I don't know, like there's something on your mind."

Rockett sighed. "I really don't want to talk much about it..."

"You sure?"

Rockett sighed again. This time she turned to face Jessie. "Jess, things have gotten completely out of hand between me and Ruben," she said suddenly, much to her surprise. "I don't even know if we're still together anymore. I was supposed to meet him a while back at the bus stop to talk with him, but he never showed up." Rockett decided to leave out the fact that she'd also lost her new pair of earrings that day at the bus stop. Jessie probably would think she was being too vain. "I haven't talked to him since the night I'd called him and he didn't even want to talk to me. Later, I found out it was because he thought I was cheating on him - thanks to Cleve, of course. But now I don't exactly know what to believe, since it's been so long."

Jessie nodded, her eyes filled with concern. "Awww, Rockett. Don't worry about it. Ruben likes you a whole lot. You know that. Maybe something came up."

"Like what, Jess? What comes up that makes you _not_ able to answer your phone, or email or instant messages?"

"I don't know, Rockett. But, look. He'll be here today, and you can go and talk to him."

"I know," Rockett said miserably. "I'm just so nervous."

"Don't be," Jessie replied. "Trust me. Everything will work out. You'll see. Anyway, I have to stop by my locker before homeroom. See you in class!"

When Rockett made it to first period, the first thing she did was scan the room to see if Ruben had shown yet. No sign of him. Sighing, she took her seat.

Mr. Baldus' room was abuzz with chatter. Nearly every single student was babbling on and on about the English project.

"Ugh, _so_ glad this week is finally over," said Stephanie.

"Yeah, it's been a long one. Max isn't exactly the most 'helpful' person when it comes to working on long-term projects," griped Whitney.

"I don't know what _you_ two girls are complaining about," Nicole piped up. "My partner's not even here. If I fail, I am going to make Ruben _so_ sorry for this."

Rockett listened in to the conversation. Clearly, Nicole wasn't very thrilled about having to work with Ruben - which was definitely a good sign. _'Man, how lame is that? I don't need to feel okay just because Nicole can't stand the idea of working with Ruben. I should feel fine with the arrangement even if she did like him. So much for trusting.'_

Despite the fact that she was beyond nervous about seeing Ruben, Rockett couldn't help feeling more and more worried as the day progressed. English class was next, and Ruben still hadn't shown. What if they never spoke again?

The bell for Language Arts rang, and Rockett glanced up at the clock. She had managed to get to class early. She sat at her desk, nervously fiddling with her pencil. Finally, to distract herself, she leaned over to talk with Cleve.

"So, do you have everything prepared for the project?" she asked him.

Cleve leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. He flashed her a confident grin. "Totally. I even managed to make it here on time."

_'Yeah, because I practically had to force you_,_'_ Rockett thought. She kept it to herself though.

"Hey, what's with you?" Cleve asked, now giving her a funny look. "You seem a bit...off? Tell me you've already forgiven me for telling Rosales I thought you were two-timing him."

"Yeah, I'm over it," Rockett said, doing her best to try and act nonchalant. "But, why exactly did you do that in the first place?" she couldn't help asking.

Cleve shrugged. "Well the day I'd called you to see what time we'd be meeting for the project, you said you had to talk with somebody else besides Ruben, so I just figured..."

Rockett's eyes widened. "No, I didn't!" Was Cleve really _that _immature? Why did he always have to start drama?

Cleve continued to nod. "Yeah, you did. And then I hung up."

Rockett suddenly got it. "...Ohhhh! I was talking about my friend Meg. I wasn't cheating on him! I'd never _ever_ do that!"

"Calm down, Rockett," said Max, who had just walked into the classroom. He took a seat next to Cleve. "What's goin' on, Goodstaff? Is Rockett behaving herself?"

Rockett glared at Max.

"Apparently not," Cleve replied. "Look! Here's her signature! It's Rockett's-"

"Red glare," both boys sang in unison. Rockett rolled her eyes. _'I shoulda known they'd try to pull _that _one again. So unfunny!'_

Soon, the rest of the students filed into the classroom, and Mrs. Tinydahl rapped on her desk to calm them. "Quiet!" she instructed. "You will all get your chance to speak when I call you up to present your project."

Just as she had said that, the door flew open, and Rockett's heart stopped. It was like she was seeing a ghost!

"Mr. Rosales, it's good to see you've made it here - _almost_ on time. You may take a seat," Mrs. Tinydahl said.

Ruben quickly made his way down the aisle toward the back of the room. On his way, he and Rockett locked eyes. She could tell something was bothering him as well.

He approached her at her desk. "Rockett, I-"

Ruben never got to finish his sentence.

"Mr. Rosales, you are on thin ice as it is, coming in here late again. _No talking_!" Mrs. Tinydahl said firmly.

Ruben gave Rockett a sad look before making his way to his seat.

"Now, that we're finally all here, why don't we go straight into the project," said Mrs. Tinydahl. "Who would like to go first?"

The class was quiet.

"I'd suspected that," she said, not waiting around. "Okay, then, I'll choose," Mrs. Tinydahl said, ignoring the moans that filled the room. "Alright, then. Let's have Arnold and Arrow come up first."

"Mrs. Arnold _Zitbomb_," Max cackled as the two made their way up to the front. "This should be very interesting," he said crafitily, rubbing his hands together.

Arrow scowled at him. "Grow up."

Although Arrow and Arnold did their best to present their project in an organized manner, it was clear they were completely out of sync. Anytime Arrow tried to speak, Arnold interrupted her with a totally off-the-wall idea that had nothing to do with what she was saying. Likewise, any time Arnold tried to speak, Arrow would interrupt him with her own statement, which in turn had nothing to do with what Arnold was saying.

Arrow said, "Our child's name is _'Forest Whisperer_,_' _but we call her-"

"Xenedron for short," Arnold interjected.

The class burst out laughing.

"No," Arrow said, giving Arnold a look. "We call her _'Forest' _or _'Whisper' _for short-"

"Gee, what a surprise,' Max cracked. The class laughed even harder.

Mrs. Tinydahl was not amused. "Mr. Diamond!"

Max held his hands up, signaling he was done with the jokes. For the time being, anyway.

It quickly became clear to Mrs. Tinydahl that neither Arrow or Arnold were at all prepared. She dismissed them and called up the next couple.

"Bo and Stephanie, please come to the front of the room to present."

The class went wild at the arrangement. "Stop it!" yelled Stephanie. "Stop it, all of you!"

When they arrived at the front, Bo spoke first. Naturally, Stephanie cut him off.

"I'm proud to say that I've fulfilled my dreams of becoming an international model, designer, and track superstar extraordinare. I've made so much money, which I have to admit, came pretty easily with all of _this_ talent, and I've already donated more than half of my funds to the local animal shelter..."

When Stephanie was finally done talking, Mrs. Tinydahl took up their journals and directed them back to their seats. Her expression was hard to read, but it was clear that Bo and Stephanie's report definitely had _not_ been the best she'd seen so far.

"Alright Bo! You're married to a superstar and you're a mall cop - way to go!" Max chuckled.

"Chaz and Jessie," Mrs. Tinydahl called.

Max immediately stopped with the jokes. His jaw dropped, and he glared at Chaz.

Meanwhile, Ruben figured this was the best time to pass a note to Rockett, while the whole class was distracted. He finished writing, then turned to the person sitting in front of him. He paused. It was Nicole.

He decided to try anyway. "Nic, do me a solid and pass this up to Rockett, _por favor_?"

Nicole smiled sweetly. "Sure thing, Ruben," she said, taking the note from his hand. "Mrs. Tinydahl!" she screamed, in the middle of Chaz and Jessie's report. "Ruben's passing noootes!"

Ruben glared at her and kicked the leg on his desk. "Witch," he muttered under his breath.

Surprsingly, Mrs. Tinydahl had resigned from her usual note-reading. "Ms. Whittaker! No interrupting! When it is your turn, then - and _only_ then! - will you get to speak! As for you, Mr. Rosales, you are already in enough trouble as it is." Mrs. Tinydahl calmly turned back to Jessie and Chaz. "Please continue."

After Chaz and Jessie, Mrs. Tinydahl called Whitney and Max, Wolf and Ginger, and a few others. Finally, she got to Cleve and Rockett.

Rockett rose from her desk and made her way with Cleve to the front. "When we first started out, things were a little bit tricky. I was busy painting from my basement - I had no office or art studio."

"I, on the other hand, was practicing day and night at the rec center. Not like I needed it," Cleve added.

"Eventually, after lots of work, Cleve and I were able to get good jobs, a decent income, and raise our child in a happy home."

"And Rockett," said Cleve. "Being the talented babe she is, managed to wow all of the world's top artists at an art gala one evening, becoming an over night celebration!"

"Sensation," Rockett quietly corrected him.

"Right," said Cleve. "Sensation." He slipped his arm around Rockett. "What would I do without her?" he added playfully. If Rockett hadn't been so wrapped up in presenting her project, she would have noticed Ruben shooting daggers at Cleve. He was _not _pleased.

"Very good," observed Mrs. Tinydahl. "Now, before we move on, do we have any questions from the audience?"

"Yeah," Ruben said, still glaring at Cleve. "Are you done yet?"

"Down, Rosales," Cleve smirked.

After they'd finished their project, Rockett happily went back to her seat. She had a feeling that they could expect a good grade from Mrs. Tinydahl.

"Our last couple is Mr. Rosales and Ms. Whittaker," Mrs. Tinydahl concluded.

"Hello, everyone!" Nicole gushed as she pushed Ruben from the spotlight. "Have I got a testimonial for _you_! Take notes. This may be the best report you ever hear!"

"Or not," Ruben added. The class burst out laughing.

Nicole tried unsuccessfully to hide her annoyance. "Anyway," she continued. "As some of you have been saying, to make it to the top, you have to start from the bottom. But to that I say, 'as if!' I'm the perfect example that even though I married far, far out of my league, I still managed to accomplish everything I've ever wanted to. And more!"

Max pretended to yawn. 'Boring!' he coughed.

"Yes, even more than little 'Mr. Maxamillionaire' over here," she snapped. "Max, be quiet when I'm talking."

"Easier said than done," Max said.

Mrs. Tinydahl gave Max a disapproving look. "Mr. Diamond, I've heard quite enough out of you." She nodded at Ruben and Nicole. "Continue."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tinydahl," gushed Nicole. "It's people like you who motivate me - truly motivate me - to get as far as I did in my report."

_'She's majorly kissing-up,' _Rockett thought to herself as she watched Nicole._ 'I wonder if Mrs. Tinydahl notices...'_

But the English teacher didn't seem to notice. She seemed more focused on whether or not the last report of the day would be a good one.

"Now, anyway, back to my fabulous, future-me lifestyle. I'm an incredibly talented political woman. Every day, people fly in from around the world just to hear me speak. I speak at conferences, meetings, the whole she-bang. And I travel to various countries around the world like Switzerland, Brazil, Austrailia-"

"My turn," Ruben interrupted. "Back to the_ real _assignment, _amigos_," he said as he quickly cleared his throat. "Now, at this point, _Rebel Angels _is more than just a household name. It's-"

"Thank you Nicole, thank you, Ruben," Mrs. Tinydahl said, dismissing them. "Please hand me your journals. Now, let's take a look at your flour sack...er, I mean, child."

Ruben dug around in his backpack until he found the sack of flour. But as he pulled it out, a look of disgust clouded over his face. "Uh, Nic? What exactly did you do to this thing?"

The entire class was beside themselves with laughter. For the flour sack Ruben had just taken out of his backpack was covered in bows, ribbons and satin lace.

Max peered closer. "Ruben, are those _eyelashes _on your flour sack?" he cracked, slapping Cleve a high-five. Indeed, the flour sack had been decorated to resemble a girl - and a frightening looking one at that. The flour 'girl' had googly eyes, pink lipstick drawn on in marker and, just as Max had suspected, Nicole had even glued feathers on the tips of the sack's 'eyes.'

"_Lash extensions_, Max," Nicole corrected smugly.

"This is so ridiculous," Ruben blurted, snatching the flour sack back from Nicole and yanking off each of the pieces. "If it was gonna be a girl, couldn't it at least be a _normal_ looking girl?"

"Give it back, Rosales! I worked hard making Nicole Whittaker II look _that_ amazing!"

_'Wow,'_ Rockett thought to herself as she observed. _'Nicole and Ruben are definitely _not_ getting along very well.'_

"You know, now that I think about it...she really _does_ look like you!" Max joked.

"That is _it_!" Mrs. Tinydahl boomed. "Ruben, Nicole - back to your seats! As for you Mr. Diamond, you have earned yourself a trip to the principal's office _and_ a detention.

Max shrugged. "Eh, what can you do? I'll catch you clowns later!" he called out before leaving the room.

The teacher firmly closed the door behind him. "Well, that was exhausting," she said.


	11. Lost & Found

Chapter 11: Lost And Found

As soon as class got out, Rockett remembered that she _had_ to talk to Ruben - not that she had forgotten. All throughout class it had been on her mind. She had tried to get a word in just as class ended, but Nicole had already beaten her to it. And now there she was, loudly confronting Ruben about 'destroying' their project. Rockett paused. She definitely did _not_ want to interrupt one of Nicole's outbursts. She edged out into the hallway and decided to wait it out. They had roughly ten minutes until next period, and she decided that if Nicole was more than five, she would just go right in and talk to Ruben there.

"Hey, Rockett!" Jessie called cheerily as she approached her friend. "You and Cleve did excellent on your project!"

"Thanks, Jessie! You and Chaz did awesome, too!"

"We tried. I don't think we were the best in the class or anything, but I'm glad we didn't do as bad as Ruben and Nicole - yikes. Speaking of which, have you gotten to talk with Ruben yet?"

"Not yet, Jess," Rockett sighed. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach going at about 90 miles per hour now. "I will soon, though."

At first, Jessie gave her a sympathetic look. But then, she smiled. "You'll be fine, Rockett. Anyway, I'll see you later! Darnetta told me she needed my help on something just before next period."

"Okay, well, tell her I said, 'hi.'"

Jessie lit up. She had been trying to get Rockett and Darnetta to become good friends for quite some time now. "I totally will!" she said excitedly before rushing off.

Rockett sighed. She listened to Jessie's loud footsteps begin to fade out as her friend departed, hoping some way she'd turn back around. When she couldn't hear them anymore, she turned around herself, trying to figure out what to say to Ruben.

_'Ruben, I'm really sorry. I can't tell you how much I wanted everything to work out. But, where have you been? We haven't gotten to talk lately or anything, I mean...not since that phone call...'_

_'Nah, can't say that. I don't even know if I should bring that up again.'_

Suddenly, the loud footsteps returned, getting closer and closer until -

"_Ruben_?" Rockett asked, shocked.

When she'd turned around, Ruben was already right behind her. She'd only seen his face for a split second before he pulled her to him and kissed her.

When he finally let go, Rockett realized she'd forgotten how she was going to apologize...and how she was mad. She was anything but angry now. Excited, nervous? Definitely. Angry? Not in the least bit. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Ruben spoke first.

"I'm so sorry about everything, _chica_. I guess I have a lot to explain, but before I forget..." Ruben handed Rockett a pair of beautiful, circle-shaped earrings. She knew she'd seen them before somewhere. Slowly, she started to get it - these were the earrings she'd lost that day at the bus stop. "Anyway, I did make it that day, only, much later. See, Nicole came over to work on the project, and somehow got ahold of my computer. She deleted the email you'd sent me asking you to meet me that day, so I thought you'd never replied. Any emails you've gotten from 'me' since then have been phony. Totally fake.

"I totally understand, Ruben. But, how did you know how to get to the bus stop, if she deleted my message?" Rockett inquired.

"Call it an instinct. Nicole sent out nasty messages to my stepdad via email. Ooh, when he got those emails, I got in _gigante_ trouble. I was so mad that night, I took off."

"And you found my earrings at the bus stop," Rockett said, getting it.

"_Correcto_, new girl. Anyway, once they'd found out I'd left, I got in even bigger trouble. As in, no tv, phones or internet for a month."

"Ohhh! So you weren't avoiding me!" Rockett realized.

Ruben shook his head. "Never."

"This whole thing was just a big, stupid misunderstanding, Ruben - on my part. I'm _so_ sorry about all this."

"Don't be," Ruben said as he put his arm around her. "It's all in the past - _historia_." He smiled. "Besides, I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"No, you shouldn't...but thanks, Ruben," Rockett said warmly.

"Always welcome,_ chica_. So, you starving or what? What do you say we get some 'za? You know, after school?"

Rockett grinned. "I'm so there!"

Ruben smiled back at her. "Oh! I almost forgot! Come here! I have to show you something!" he said, taking her hand as they ran down the hall.

"Where are we going?" asked Rockett as they raced past a hallway full of students who had just gotten out of class.

"You'll see, _chica_."

Suddenly, Darnetta came into view. "Hey, Ruben! Hi, Rockett!"

"Hey, 'Netta!" Ruben greeted her. "You got the goods?"

"You mean the yearbook page for you and Rockett? Right here," Darnetta replied, stepping into the yearbook office.

Slowly, it all begin to make sense to Rockett. That day she thought Ruben was sneaking off to Nicole's locker, well, it turned out he was actually going to the yearbook office - which was in the exact same hallway!

"See, that day we ate lunch with Miko, I had to leave lunch early so I could meet up with Darnetta. I wanted to see if she could help me publish a page for us in the yearbook. But I knew I had to keep quiet, since you're on the yearbook as well, and I didn't want you to get suspicious," Ruben explained.

Rockett's eyes lit up. "Really, Ruben? You got us a page in the yearbook? But that's sooo expensive!"

Ruben shrugged. "It was worth it. So, what are you waiting for?" he asked, taking her hand again and leading her up to the front. "Whaddya say? Wanna sneak a peek or what?"

Rockett nodded, totally thrilled. She leaned over to look at the page.

On the front cover, was a picture of the two of them. Ruben had asked Darnetta to expertly add in little icons surrounding them with each of the things they loved. Owls, hearts, musical notes - it was all there. And it was the most amazing yearbook page Rockett had ever seen! In full-color and everything.

"Ohh, Ruben, I love it!" Rockett exclaimed giving him a big hug.

"I hoped you would," he replied.

Suddenly, the bell rang. Ruben frowned.

"Uh-oh. I'd love to stick around, but I think I'm already in enough trouble as it is. Can't be late to class. I'll meet you by your locker after school, Rockett. Don't forget," Ruben called as he left. "Thanks again, 'Netta!"

Rockett smiled. "Bye, Ruben!" she waved.

Rockett still had at least a few minutes before her next class. She turned back around to check out the page Ruben had made for them one last time.

_"To my favorite new girl. Cheers to us!"_


End file.
